The entire executive committee of the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) has resigned amid the ongoing scandal over foreign-born players in the national team.
World football’s governing body FIFA has accused the Malaysian Football Federation of tampering with citizenship documents so that seven foreign-born athletes could play for Malaysia.
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FAM said in a statement on Wednesday that the mass resignations would “ensure that any necessary reforms can be carried out without disruption or apparent conflict and on a new basis of trust”.
There has been speculation for days that the FA leader would resign in a bid to prevent a FIFA-nominated committee from taking over, local media reported.
FAM said the purpose of the resignation was to “safeguard FAM’s reputation and institutional interests” and avoid consequences that “could affect Malaysian football as a whole”.
It added that until a new committee is appointed, FAM’s operations will be managed by a small team led by the Secretary-General with the help of the AFC.
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The seven foreign-born players have been fined by FIFA and temporarily banned from participating in football matches.
But this week the ban was lifted by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, which will rule on the fate of the embattled athlete.
What is Scandal about?
FIFA launched an investigation into the eligibility of seven foreign players in the Malaysian national team after Malaysia defeated Vietnam 4-0 in the Asian Cup qualifiers last June.
They are: Spanish-born Gabriel Felipe Arrocha, Facundo Tomas Garces and Jon Irazabal Iraurgui, Argentinian-born Rodrigo Julian Holgado and Imanol Javier Machuca Machuca), Dutch-born Hector Alejandro Hevel Serrano and Brazilian-born Joao Vitor Brandao Figueiredo.
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FIFA’s “grandfather rules” allow foreign-born footballers to represent the country where their biological parents or grandparents were born.
The rule is intended to prevent national teams from simply bringing in foreign players to improve performance.
But according to FIFA, the FA forged birth certificates to make it appear that the players’ grandparents were born in Malaysian cities such as Penang and Malacca.
FIFA investigators said the grandparents’ original birth certificates showed they were born in countries such as Argentina and Spain, all of which corresponded with the player’s birthplace.
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Football’s governing body said at the time it was “pure cheating”.
FIFA’s disciplinary committee fined the player and banned him from football for 12 months. It also ordered FAM to pay 350,000 Swiss francs ($440,000; £330,000).
FAM said the discrepancies were due to an “administrative error” and insisted the players were “legal Malaysian citizens”.
However, the Malaysian Football Association’s appeal was rejected by FIFA, which overturned the results of Malaysia’s three football matches against Singapore, Palestine and Cape Verde, and ultimately lost 0-3.
FIFA also vowed to launch a formal investigation into FAM and notify authorities in five countries of counterfeiting crimes.
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What to do next?
After failing to appeal FIFA’s decision, FAM took the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, an independent body responsible for sports-related disputes.
On Monday, the Court of Arbitration for Sport lifted the ban on the seven players, allowing them to participate in football activities pending a ruling on their eligibility.
A ruling is expected by the end of February, FAM officials told local media.
This means that for now, players can return to the pitches of their respective football clubs.
Spanish football club Alaves announced on Tuesday that Facundo Garces has returned to training with the team.
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Photos shared by Malaysia’s Johor Darutazim FC also showed three other players – Joao Figueiredo, Hector Hever and Jon Elazábal – back in training.
Southeast Asian countries seeking sporting success have launched campaigns to recruit naturalized football players. For example, Indonesia has welcomed a number of Dutch-born football players from the Indonesian diaspora.
Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail told parliament last October that Malaysia had granted citizenship to 23 foreigners who played for the national team since 2018.